EditorsAug 10, 2022
Take a Tour Through Buccellati’s Vintage Jewelry CollectionCollectionsJun 28, 2023
Will’s Notebook Opens a New Chapter and It’s Vintage
Will Kahn, creator of Will’s Notebook, and jewelry designer Jenna Blake have launched an e-commerce platform focused on vintage jewelry.
Jenna Blake Grosfeld, a jewelry designer known for her vintage-inspired pieces, and Will Kahn, a jewelry stylist, consultant and contributing editor at Town & Country, collaborated to create The Vintage Notebook. Launched in late May, the e-commerce platform features and sells hand-selected drops of vintage jewelry.
New York—It’s Will’s Notebook, but with a vintage feel.
In late May, longtime editor Will Kahn and designer Jenna Blake Grosfeld, creator of Jenna Blake Jewelry, announced the launch of a new e-commerce platform, The Vintage Notebook.
The project was born out of the pair’s shared passion for jewelry from the past, and their desire to educate a new generation about jewelry history so that, “the most amazing periods in jewelry design don’t become lost arts of bygone eras,” said Grosfeld.
“There is so much great jewelry out there, but the average shopper doesn’t know where to start and doesn’t want to dig,” Kahn said.
“Jenna and I have hand-selected and curated pieces that we would tell our friends to buy.”
Related stories will be right here …
In late May, longtime editor Will Kahn and designer Jenna Blake Grosfeld, creator of Jenna Blake Jewelry, announced the launch of a new e-commerce platform, The Vintage Notebook.
The project was born out of the pair’s shared passion for jewelry from the past, and their desire to educate a new generation about jewelry history so that, “the most amazing periods in jewelry design don’t become lost arts of bygone eras,” said Grosfeld.
“There is so much great jewelry out there, but the average shopper doesn’t know where to start and doesn’t want to dig,” Kahn said.
“Jenna and I have hand-selected and curated pieces that we would tell our friends to buy.”
The Vintage Notebook takes inspiration from Kahn’s popular Instagram @willsnotebook in which he uses an old medium—pencil and paper—to describe and share an even older art form—jewelry—in a modern way.
The site went live in late May with its first drop, 21 pieces of vintage jewelry Blake and Kahn selected and sourced from Blake’s network of antique jewelry dealers worldwide, whom she’s worked with for years.
Sorted by lot number, à la an auction house, the pieces on offer in the first drop range from $1,200 for a necklace of coral beads with an 18-karat gold and coral clasp, to $28,000 for an 18-karat gold bangle bracelet set with 17 carats of diamonds.
Pictures on the site show how each piece can be styled, and some of the lots include commentary from Grosfeld and Kahn.
Lot #9 in the first selection of pieces for sale on The Vintage Notebook is this 18-karat yellow gold and oxidized black gold necklace, which retails for $7,800. “This collar screams boss lady, à la Jackie Collins,” Jenna Blake Grosfeld says on site.
Kahn, for example, describes Lot #7, an 18-karat gold lapis lazuli and diamond cuff bracelet, as his “favorite piece in the drop because it is bold and graphic,” while Grosfeld writes that Lot #1, an 18-karat gold and diamond cocktail ring, “begs for an ice-chilled martini glass.”
New drops are scheduled to take place monthly.
The pieces Kahn and Grosfeld curate are sold exclusively on The Vintage Notebook website, though no take on Will’s Notebook would be complete without an Instagram component.
The Vintage Notebook can be found and followed on Instagram at @the.vintagenotebook, which is intended to be the main source of traffic to the website.
More on Collections
The Latest
MajorsAug 26, 2024
Longtime Industry Sales Trainer Lenny Zell Dies at 97Said to be the first to write a jewelry sales manual for the industry, Zell is remembered for his zest for life.
WatchesAug 26, 2024
IWC Is Sending Its Watches to SpaceThe company outfitted the Polaris Dawn spaceflight crew with watches that will later be auctioned off to benefit St. Jude’s.
AuctionsAug 23, 2024
Abernethy Pearl Tops Estimates at Auction A buyer paid more than $100,000 for the gemstone known as “Little Willie,” setting a new auction record for a Scottish freshwater pearl.
Brought to you by
Watch: Natural Diamonds: A Great (but Often Untold) Geology StorySupplier Spotlight Sponsored by GIA.
SourcingAug 22, 2024
2,492-Carat Diamond Recovered From Botswana Diamond MineThe giant gem came from Karowe, the same mine that yielded the 1,109-carat Lesedi La Rona and the 1,758-carat Sewelô diamond.
Weekly QuizAug 23, 2024
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
TrendsAug 22, 2024
Kaley Cuoco Has a Three-Stone Engagement Ring With a TwistThe three-stone ring was designed by Shahla Karimi Jewelry and represents Cuoco, her fiancé Tom Pelphrey, and their child.
TechnologyAug 21, 2024
Instagram’s Notes Feature Expands to Posts, ReelsActing as temporary virtual Post-it notes, Notes are designed to help strengthen mutual connections, not reach new audiences.
Brought to you by
Watch: Forging the Next Generation of Skilled Bench Jewelers at GIASupplier Spotlight Sponsored by GIA
TrendsAug 21, 2024
Carol Woolton To Release New BookThe jewelry historian discusses the history and cultural significance of jewelry throughout time and across the globe.
TrendsAug 21, 2024
Amanda’s Style File: Shimmy and ShakeFrom fringe and tassels to pieces that give the illusion they are in motion, jewelry with movement is trending.
IndependentsAug 20, 2024
Mixed-Media Jewelry Artist Jan Yager Dies at 72The designer and maker found community around her Philadelphia studio and creative inspiration on the sidewalks below it.
ColumnistsAug 20, 2024
Google Ads Payment Policy Change: What It Means For YouThe change to accepted payment methods for Google Ads might seem like an irritation but actually is an opportunity, Emmanuel Raheb writes.
IndependentsAug 20, 2024
Pat Henneberry Releases MemoirThe industry consultant’s new book focuses on what she learned as an athlete recovering from a broken back.
Events & AwardsAug 20, 2024
The Ethical Gem Fair Is Going to CaliforniaThe fair will take place on the West Coast for the first time, hosted by Altana Fine Jewelry in Oakland, California.
MajorsAug 20, 2024
Kathy Hillelson Joins Board of WJA Foundation Hillelson is a second-generation diamantaire and CEO of Owl Financial Group.
Events & AwardsAug 19, 2024
Nominations Are Open for the 2025 Gem AwardsSubmissions in the categories of Jewelry Design, Media Excellence, and Retail Excellence will be accepted through this Friday, Aug. 23.
AuctionsAug 19, 2024
Scotland’s Famed Abernethy Pearl Is Up for Sale Known as “Little Willie,” it’s the largest freshwater pearl found in recent history in Scotland and is notable for its shape and color.
IndependentsAug 19, 2024
Kentucky Jeweler Closing After 89 YearsClements Jewelers in Madisonville cited competition from larger retailers and online sellers as the driving factor.
SourcingAug 19, 2024
A&C Gem Trading Corp. Relocates, Opens Wholesale ShowroomThe gemstone company is moving to the Ross Metal Exchange in New York City’s Diamond District.
CrimeAug 16, 2024
Jewels Stolen During Green Vault Heist Back on DisplayMost of the 18th century royal jewelry taken from the Green Vault Museum in Dresden, Germany, in 2019 went back on display this week.
IndependentsAug 16, 2024
Louis Anthony Jewelers Announces First Resort StoreThe Pittsburgh jeweler has opened a store in the nearby Nemacolin resort.
CollectionsAug 16, 2024
Piece of the Week: Jonne Amaya’s ‘Cat Claw’ NecklaceWith a 40-carat cabochon emerald, this necklace is as powerful and elegant as a cat.
Events & AwardsAug 16, 2024
IJO Names Jewel-Craft as VIP Vendor of the YearThe Erlanger, Kentucky-based company was recognized for its reliability when it comes to repairs and fast turnaround times.
SourcingAug 15, 2024
Greenland Ruby Is Up For SaleUnable to pay its debts, the ruby and sapphire miner is looking to restructure and become a “competitive and attractive” company.
TrendsAug 15, 2024
Paola De Luca to Debut Trendbook 2026+ at VicenzaoroThe trend forecaster’s latest guide has intel on upcoming trends in the jewelry market.
Events & AwardsAug 15, 2024
Heather Ingraham Awarded WJA Helene Fortunoff Scholarship Ingraham said she’ll use the scholarship funds to attend the Women’s Leadership Program at the Yale School of Management.
IndependentsAug 15, 2024
DC Jeweler Schools Students About Jewelry Via Summer ProgramMoijey Fine Jewelry & Diamonds held a three-week “Mine to Finger 3D Jewelry Program.”
